Domesticating Spectacle in the Roman Empire. Representations of Public Entertainment in Private Houses of the Roman Provinces.

Abstract

Gladiatorial combats, animal fights, and public executions of criminals were parts of the munus – public spectacles that took place over the course of multiple days and were an integral component of the social and political life of many communities across the Roman Empire. In this dissertation I reevaluate a corpus of 79 known images of spectacle dating from the 1st century BCE to the late 5th century CE, focusing on images of gladiatorial fights and animal hunts found on floor mosaics and wall paintings in areas once part of the Roman Empire. Rather than regard the images as illustrations of specific historical spectacles sponsored by a given patron, I argue that depictions are visual constructs that condense perceptions of the events into abstracted, abbreviated images. The images do not function as ‘eye-witness’ snapshots but instead are commentaries on a multivalent event. Taking into account the historical background of the munus, features of the visual representations themselves, the archaeological contexts in which the representations occur, and the greater geographical setting in which the sites are found, I identify both commonalities and regional variations among images. The formal analysis of the images reveals that the images conform to types and that they were often consciously adapted to fit specific architectural contexts. My reassessment of the archaeological contexts indicates that the great majority of images of spectacle originally appeared in publicly accessible spaces in private houses, including hallways, reception rooms, and bedroom, in addition to dining rooms. The distribution of these images throughout the Roman Empire is surprisingly uneven, with the largest clusters found at three sites: Cos (Greek Islands), Leptis Magna (Libya), and Trier (Germany). These clusters are shown to be the result of local fashions, historical associations, and the presence of prolific workshops. In contrast to earlier scholars, I understand the images of spectacle as celebrations of victory that drew upon established conventions for representing the munus. My study shows that the images fulfilled a variety of functions that reflected the social setting, wealth, and identity of a patron, all of which were often heavily influenced by the regional context.